Scott Sinclair insisted his Bristol Rovers side must find ways to win after the Gas lost 2-0 to Charlton Athletic in Sky Bet League One on Tuesday night.
The Pirates aimed to bounce back from a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Wigan Athletic on the weekend with a third victory in four outings in the third tier but conceded twice in the first half to let the game get away from them.
Matty Godden opened the scoring with a close-range finish before Josh Edwards doubled the Addicks’ lead with a low strike from the edge of the box. The defeat leaves Rovers four points above the relegation zone with 19 games left to play this season.
Reflecting on the loss to Nathan Jones’ men, Sinclair labelled it a ‘tough night’ and called on his side to start picking up positive results to climb the table.
“It was obviously a tough night,” he said. “I think we need to start winning games, and I think it’s just consistency. We’ve beat Cambridge, and we’ve beat Barnsley, and we lose another one. I think we need to just go on a run of building and getting points and winning every week.”
"At the start of the game, I think in the first ten, 15 minutes, we came out bright, and we started well, but I think once we conceded, we took a backwards step. I think for us, let's not let our heads drop. We’ve got to keep going and building, but where we are in the league, I think we need to build up confidence to move forward.
"We’ve got to try and learn from the mistakes and create a little bit more. It comes with confidence and winning games. We need to start to find ways of winning and climbing the table.”
Despite Rovers’ youthful squad, there are plenty of older players in the group. Club captain Sinclair, as well as Romaine Sawyers, James Wilson, Chris Martin and Grant Ward, have experienced plenty in football, with Sinclair adamant that there are enough characters in the side to help them through a tricky patch.
“It goes to show our characters in the group and the team, and I think we’ve got that,” said the winger. “We all just need to stick together. I think a few of us have been in this situation before, down near the bottom, but I think once we start winning games and we go on a little run, I think we can just look forward.
“I think as footballers, you have to rise to the occasion because it’s not always going to be great. When it comes to these stages and these nights and things aren't going your way, you’ve got to dig deep and make sure you start putting it right.”
The Gas are back in action on Sunday and host Peterborough United, who are just one place and two points above them at this crucial stage in the season. With both teams looking for a victory that would give them some breathing room between themselves and the drop zone, Sinclair emphasised the importance of every fixture.
“I think every single game now is a must-win game,” said Sinclair. “This is the pressure of all of us to go into every game knowing we need to win. Everyone will be up for the occasion and make sure that we get three points on Sunday.”
